Friday 17th unlucky for some

PROFESSING to be not in the least superstitious, a co-director of the Italian Film Festival – which has recently begun, mainly in Scotland – was not in the least anxious that this is the 13th staging of the festival.

At least, the London arm of the festival was launching on Friday 17th, not 13th.

But it might as well have done, as events were to prove. As he was soon to find out, the number ‘17’ is considered unlucky by Italians.

So, there he was – at the Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, London – preparing to welcome guests and say a few introductory words.

The problem was that torrential rain just before the screening of Ferzan Ozpetek’s ‘Sacred Heart’ caused a roof to appear in danger of collapse at nearby Hammersmith tube station, stranding many potential festival-goers.